The Disgraced of the House of Black - A Multi-Character Fanfiction - Part One

189. Making a Break for It

"Enough, both of you," Lyra snapped coldly, glaring at the pair of them.

"You haven't told me what's so special about this prophecy I'm supposed to be handing over," Harry said, causing a faint smile to cross Lyra's lips.

"Do not play games with us," she said in her softest, smoothest voice.

"I'm not playing games," Harry said.

"Dumbledore never told you that the reason you bear that scar was hidden in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries?" Lucius said sneeringly.

"I - what?" Harry said in surprise, clearly taken aback. "What about my scar?"

"Can this be?" Lucius said in a tone of malicious delight as some of the Death Eaters laughed, but Althea couldn't help but notice that Lyra's expression had shifted to one of tense civility, as though she were restraining herself from lashing out. "Dumbledore never told you? Well, this explains why you didn't come earlier, Potter. The Dark Lord wondered why you didn't come running when he showed you the place where it was hidden in your dreams. He thought natural curiosity would make you want to hear the exact wording..."

"Did he?" Harry said disinterestedly. "So he wanted me to come and get it, did he? Why?"

"Why?" Lucius repeated, sounding incredulously delighted. "Because the only people who are permitted to retrieve a prophecy from the Department of Mysteries, Potter, are those about whom it was made, as the Dark Lord discovered when he attempted to use others to steal it for him."

"And why did he want to steal a prophecy about me?"

"About both of you, Potter, about both of you," Lucius said condescendingly. "Haven't you ever wondered why the Dark Lord tried to kill you as a baby?"

"Thea," Ginny whispered, moving close to her ear.

She turned her head slightly to listen, keeping her eyes fixed on the Death Eaters.

"On Harry's signal, smash shelves," Ginny whispered. "Pass it on."

Althea said nothing, turning her head back to listen as Harry said in surprise, "Someone made a prophecy about Voldemort and me? And he's made me come and get it for him? Why couldn't he come and get it himself?"

"Neville," Althea whispered, using his height to hide the fact that she was whispering to him. When he had turned his head slightly, she passed on Ginny's message.

"Get it himself?" Bellatrix shrieked before letting out a cackle of mad laughter. "The Dark Lord, walk into the Ministry of Magic when they are so sweetly ignoring his return? The Dark Lord, reveal himself to the aurors when at the moment they are wasting their time on my dear cousin and his wife?"

"So he's got you doing his dirty work for him, has he?" Harry said as Althea finally began to wonder how much longer he was going to drag this out. She couldn't take much more tension. "Like he tried getting Sturgis to steal it - and Bode?"

"Very good, Potter, very good..." Malfoy said slowly. "But the Dark Lord knows you are not unintell-"

"NOW!" Harry yelled.

"REDUCTO!" all seven of them shouted, sending hundreds of the glass orbs falling to the ground.

As the misty figures appeared, they turned and ran, shoving the stunning Death Eaters behind them out of the way. One caught onto Althea as she past, but she quickly stunned him and continued on. Althea, who had let go of Neville's hand to stun her attacker, soon fell behind the others, so that when they had shut the door, she found herself alone in the room, at least fifteen Death Eaters behind her.

She continued running, breaking into a relentless pace as she circled the room, going all the way down to row one before going down it, slipping down several rows until she came back to the other side to row hundred. She could hear pounding footsteps behind her and knew she was being pursued. She knew they must have locked the door. There was no way out for her now. She glanced back, hopeful a lesser Death Eater might be easier to take, but to her dismay, she saw they were wearing a mask. She had no way of knowing.

Just as she turned back to watch where she was going, she ran directly into a shelf that protruded farther out than the others. Althea shrieked, falling to the ground as glass spilt around her, crashing and breaking over her. She shook as she scrambled back, her arms, which she had flung over her face, bleeding heavily. Her forehead too was bleeding and her pants had been ripped in several places. The Death Eater was approaching her now.

Jumping to her feet, she raised her wand, shouting, "IMPENDAMENTA!"

With a lazy flick of their wand, they deflected, lowering their hood to reveal their face. Lyra was staring at her with a proud, gleeful look. Althea was drawn nearly to tears with desperation as each spell she tried was instantly deflected.

With an expression of mock pity, Lyra asked, "Is something wrong, little flower?"

"Shut up!" Althea shouted, moving so quickly Lyra was caught by surprise.

Any glee instantly slipped from her face as with a disgusted, angry look, she reached up, feeling the place on her cheek where Althea had slashed a cut. Althea began to shake as Lyra turned her angry glare upon her.

Without hesitation, Lyra raised her wand as she shrieked, "CRUCIO!"

Althea screamed, falling to the ground as pain consumed her body. She writhed and curled and twitched in a desperate attempt to ease the pain, to make some of it go away, but it did not lessen until Lyra, panting, lowered her wand, a strange gleam in her eye.

"I see why Bellatrix gets such a kick out of that," she said breathlessly, striding forward.

Althea was motionless on the ground, staring up at the ceiling as she gasped for breath, her entire body aching.

Grabbing hold of her by the hair, Lyra pulled her harshly to her feet, forcing her head back as in a low whisper, she hissed, "You're going to pay for that, little flower."

Althea was shaking, every part of her aching as she struggled to remain upright.

"Come on," Lyra snapped, shoving her forward, keeping her wand at her throat.